


Weak Against the Elements: Ann Takamaki vs. the Ice Rink

by myaami



Series: Weak Against the Elements [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Daily Life Outside the Metaverse, Elemental Weakness, Gen, Humor, Persona-user problems, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-01-13 08:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18465439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myaami/pseuds/myaami
Summary: When Ann was young, she used to take ice skating lessons. After awakening her Persona, she gets shaky legs every time she steps on the ice.(Part 2 of 8, sometimes your weakness causes you to freeze up.)





	Weak Against the Elements: Ann Takamaki vs. the Ice Rink

Hot summer days like this used to be perfect for Ann’s favorite activity: ice skating. Really, any kind of ice or snow activity is delightful. Ann lived overseas long enough and in remote and exotic enough locations to have played a diversity of sports, and ice skating was easily her favorite. She didn’t have enough free time to skate professionally after moving to Tokyo for high school, but she found a local indoor ice-skating rink she used to frequent often.

That is, until. Well.

Shiho called the night before saying she had a surprise for Ann. Today, Shiho leads the two of them to a bench in the park where Shiho reveals the surprise: two passes to the ice-skating rink right across the street.

“Ann, please!” Shiho begs. “You always used to tell me about your ballerina skills on the ice, and today is the perfect day for it!” Shiho has made an immaculate recovery, but not enough to try skating herself, and it’s hard for Ann to find a good reason to say no. She tries to stall anyway.

“I can dance any time,” Ann deflects. “I can dance right now if you like?” She’s starting to get a little desperate and she knows it. Still, she stands in front of the bench and points her toes and twirls and skips around. Shiho opens her mouth to protest, but once Ann starts dancing, Shiho is rendered speechless.

Ann has always loved to dance. Like modeling, dancing is an extension of the body and a form of self-expression. To move, to sway and flow, it’s like nothing Ann has ever experienced. Except for one other recent experience. One in which she dances with fire at her fingertips.

Shiho’s eyes glow. “Ann, that was incredible!” Ann makes a mental note to give Shiho lessons when she completes her physical therapy.

“Beautiful!” A familiar voice joins in praise. They turn to see Yusuke standing behind them, opening his bag and pulling out a sketch pad. “You have often eluded to artistic performance in your past, but I never thought it would be this incredible, Ann. My, how inspirational…” he trails off and starts to draw without ever giving them a proper greeting.

After Ann introduces the two of them, Shiho smiles conspiratorially. “You know, Yusuke, if you want to see something _truly_ inspirational,” Shiho nudges Ann in the side and Ann tries not to groan; she knows where this is going. Shiho continues, “wait until you see Ann dance on ice! I bet she looks even more beautiful. In fact, we were just going there now.”

“That would indeed be a sight to see. Yes, I believe I will join you.”

They both have such high expectations of her and Ann has run out of excuses. Gritting her teeth, she leads the way to the rink.

After paying for Yusuke’s entrance fee—Yusuke promises a painting in return, but Ann would have purchased his ticket anyway—Ann laces up her rental skates and walks around the outside of the rink to Shiho and Yusuke who are sitting in the bleachers, Shiho with her phone, no doubt to take videos, and Yusuke with his sketch pad and pencil at the ready.

Ann tries to let them down gently in advance. “I’m not sure I’ll be great today. Afterall, it’s been a while since I’ve done this.”

“I bet it’s like riding a bicycle. It’ll come back to you in no time!” Shiho’s goodwill is blinding sometimes. “But just for you, I’ll only share the videos and pictures with our close friends, okay?”

Why has it come to this? Why did the fates conspire to give her a weakness that was once her greatest love? In a previous life, she could have danced around the frigid Bufula that strike in her Mementos, but now she’s helpless. No, Carmen has shown her that she’s not helpless. She’s incredible and she’s strong and she can most definitely handle a little bit of cold, especially since she has done so all her life!

She takes a cautious step onto the icy battlefield. So far so good. She stands up straight but holds onto the wall for good measure while she’s getting started. She gives a shaky smile to Shiho and Yusuke who both look so excited. Ann can’t possibly let them down now.

Take a deep breath. _In…_

She takes a tentative step forward and pushes off into a small glide. So far so good.

_Out…_

Another small push from the other foot.

_In…_

She chances a look at her friends who wave enthusiastically back at her.

_Out…_

Just when Ann feels confident is when her weakness takes over. It’s not a problem with her feet, she realizes, it’s her brain that won’t send signals anymore. With both feet glued down to the ice, she’s unable to push off. She tries to turn her body to come to a stop, but her legs won’t respond either. She tries to crouch down to touch the ice with her hands to slow herself. No such luck.

Somehow, she is picking up speed. _Somehow_ , the rink has gotten longer and it’s like she’s staring down an endless hallway of ice and glass. At this pace, she is on a literal crash course for the glass wall coming up fast in front of her—

The hard impact never comes.

Instead, she slowly rolls to a full stop and reaches out to tentatively touch the glass. Her eyes and mind were playing tricks on her.

Yusuke and Shiho join her at the glass barrier. “While I wouldn’t necessarily call that dancing, Shiho, it was certainly beautiful in its own way. Look here, I have captured many rough sketches of Ann’s horror-stricken face as she slowly approached the wall. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Yusuke. Never show that to anyone. Ever.” Shiho tries to stifle a laugh, and Ann turns to glare at her next. “The same goes for you too, Shiho.”


End file.
